MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - The championship was locked up by halftime. By the time the confetti landed, Alabama was already looking ahead to the next one.

That's the way it is for the latest dynasty in Tuscaloosa.

Win a title. Repeat.

Quieting the Irish on the very first drive, Eddie Lacy, AJ McCarron and the No. 2 Crimson Tide rolled top-ranked Notre Dame 42-14 for the BCS championship Monday night, locking up a second straight national title and third in four years with another laugher of a title game.

Bear Bryant would have been especially proud of this one - Nick Saban and the Tide romping to the second-biggest rout of the BCS era, which began in the 1998 season.

Now, back to work.

"The process is ongoing," said Saban, still tightlipped as ever and showing little emotion after the fourth national title of his coaching career. "We're going to enjoy it for 24 hours or so."

The Crimson Tide (13-1) wrapped up their ninth Associated Press national title, breaking a tie with Notre Dame for the most by any school. Notre Dame fell to fourth in the final AP poll, behind No. 2 Oregon and Ohio State. Georgia and Texas A&M tied for fifth, and Stanford was seventh. San Jose State finished 21st.

Bryant won five AP titles during his brilliant career at Alabama. The way things are going, Saban might chase him down.

Lacy, the game's offensive MVP, ran for one touchdown and caught a pass for another in the final minute of the opening half. He spun away from the vaunted Notre Dame defense not once, but twice, to cap a 28-0 blitz before the bands got on the field.

"They just did what Alabama does," said Notre Dame Manti Te'o, a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Lacy finished with 140 yards on 20 carries. McCarron wasn't too shabby, either, completing 20 of 28 passes for four touchdowns and 264 yards, adding another dazzling effort on top of being MVP in last year's title game.

You could almost hear television sets around the country flipping to other channels, a hugely anticipated matchup between two of the nation's most storied programs reduced to the second straight BCS blowout for the Crimson Tide.

And, it would seem, they're not content yet.

"We're going for it next year again," said offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandijo, only a sophomore but already the owner of two rings. "And again. And again. And again. I love to win. That's why I came here."

Though Saban said he was "happy as hell" and "has never been prouder of a group of young men," it was hard to tell. He was already talking about reporting to the office Wednesday and getting started on next season.

"One of these days, when I'm sitting on the side of the hill watching the stream go by, I'll probably figure it out even more," Saban said. "But what about next year's team? You've got to think about that, too."

Alabama scored 69 straight points against its title-game opponents, going back to getting the final 13 against Texas in January 2010, followed by a 21-0 victory over LSU for last year's crown, then scoring the first 35 points on Notre Dame.